


Enough

by justbygrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 06:03:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8360005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: Reunion Fic





	

The Doctor shouldn't have even been there to begin with and he knew it. His time senses were screaming at him and he had an all around wrong feeling about the entire area, but he couldn't leave. The TARDIS had brought him here without his consent and she was making her opinion of leaving quite clear - growing increasingly more petulant when he attempted to pilot her away, even going so far as to shock him when he got within a few centimeters of the dematerialization switch.

As soon as he had discovered exactly where he had landed he had attempted to leave, but to no avail. This place was rife with memories and he couldn't even breathe the air - chips and smoke and humanity - without being assaulted by a veritable maelstrom of emotions. He had been sulking about the console room, refusing to do anything but fuss with wires, hoping he could trick her into leaving. The TARDIS had been understanding at first - she knew his reluctance to be here - but now she was getting irritated and he knew it wouldn't be too much longer before she booted him outside and locked the doors.

Walking to the doors, he reluctantly opened them a crack and stuck his head out. Even that was painful - the flash of images: Christmas, regeneration energy, enthusiasm - but he forced himself to stand still until he could breathe through it. A single step outside was even more agonizing. There wasn't a stone here, not a single corner, that didn't have a memory attached to it. Taking another step, he groaned as the rush of images hit him; he felt as if he was going to suddenly be thrown off the spinning planet into the abyss. He staggered backwards, bracing himself against the TARDIS for support (and her voice was comforting, her song gentle), waiting until he could see straight again.

It was a sweet torture, remembering in excruciating detail every visit, every silly moment, every jaunt through town with the family. He'd come for visits more often towards the end, giving into her pleas to just say hi to mum - even then then he'd treasured them for what they were, borrowed time and he'd known that, but he hadn't realized how little he had to borrow. Angry, he jerked his hand away from the TARDIS, what gave her the right to force him to relive this? Hadn't she always been on his side, protecting him? It wasn't fair, it wasn't right for her to betray him when he needed her the most.

As he released his grip on the TARDIS, the flood of images gradually slowed to a stream and then a trickle. He blinked, forcing himself to focus on something, a brick on the opposite wall, an object that would remind him that he was here and alone and ground him in the rush. The images refused to dissolve, taunting him with their realism - her jeans and hoodie, her essence, her smile through tears - hold on, what? This was not one of his memories of this place.

He closed his eyes, reciting pi to the hundredth digit, and then opened them. She was still there, her blonde hair caught by the sun into a halo, her hands clenched in the fabric of her jeans, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief, her tears flowing freely, her smile giving evidence of a growing belief in reality. He took a tentative step forward and she was there, arms around him, face pressed into his neck, feet swinging as he clutched her to his chest.

Afterwards he swore time stood still as they clung to one another, but at length he pulled back far enough to see her, to make sure she was actually there. Even that wasn't enough - he'd had dreams where she'd been in his arms and so he pressed his lips to her willing ones, meeting her halfway in a clash of lips and teeth and tongues and noses that assured him that he was alive and awake and this was real, this was happening.

Later he would have questions, hows and whys that had surprisingly easier answers than he suspected. Later words that would flow between them as they shared stories of the separation. Later he would figure out a way to make sure she could see her family. Later they would fight about risks and mistakes and "don't you ever send me away again." Later he would shut up and show her how much he had missed her by worshiping her body with his. Later he would sneak out and drop to his knees as he thanked the TARDIS and her Bad Wolf for working together to bring back his Rose.

But right now there was only here and there was now and she was in his arms and it was enough.


End file.
